


The Bass Of Brixton

by A_M_Kelley



Category: Bandom, Punk Rock RPF, Sean Flynn - The Clash (Song), The Clash
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Crack Treated Seriously, Crime Fighting, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Gen, Humor if you squint long enough, Journalism, Legends, Non-Linear Narrative, POV Alternating, POV Outsider, Parody, Punk Rock, Tall Tales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-02 15:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_M_Kelley/pseuds/A_M_Kelley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sean Flynn is a journalist and travels all the way to England to look into the curious case of a local superhero that supposedly fights crime with a paint splattered Rickenbacker and the power of punk rock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bass Of Brixton

**Author's Note:**

> The bold/italics font is past tense and the normal font is present. Sean Flynn is a Clash song that is based on an actual photojournalist of the same name. I felt like the story needed a sort've outside perspective for the theme I wanted to use and hopefully it worked out! I based Paul's superhero off of the villain Punk Rocket from Teen Titans.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Just begin with the first encounter..."

Everyone knows the story about the Bass of Brixton, well everyone this side of England at least. No one has actually ever seen him, there are some who claim to have seen him before, but most would call him a legend. Locals don't know how this story got started, probably by a kid with too much imagination and free time, but as much as people scoff at the idea of an actual superhero they can't help but believe it.

It's recently come to a certain journalist's attention though, Sean Flynn to be exact, and despite the skepticism of it all he is destined to seek out the truth behind the myth. The big wigs back in Los Angeles said he was crazy and on a wild goose chase, but Sean Flynn was doing it for the experience more than anything. He didn't care what they thought anyway.

"Well, I guess it would 'ave to be just the other month when I was gettin' mugged..."

**_Topper remembers that night better than any other. It was just after band practice, pretty late from what he can remember, and he was on his way home. He didn't have enough money for a cab or else he would've taken one and the tube was just as well, a little out of his way, but his feet were killing him._ **

**_He pushed himself a little too hard tonight but it was the only way he was ever going to get better with his technique, it also didn't help that he could barely see over his drum kit. Sometimes Topper hated being smaller compared to his friends. He had to walk twice as fast just to keep up. It makes sense to him now why he was such an easy target for a mugging._ **

**_Mick told him it was okay for him to crash at his place for the night but Topper was stubborn and insisted that he go home for the night. This prompted Joe to offer to walk him home but Topper scoffed and became indignant of the suggestion. The last thing the drummer needed was to be treated like some damsel that needed rescuing every five min--_ **

"Is this really important?" Sean asks anxiously, interrupting Topper.

"D'ya wanna hear the story or not?" Topper inquires with a frustrated sigh.

"Sorry," the journalist apologizes. "Continue."

**_Topper was nearly to the station when he heard heavy steps coming from behind him. It wasn't dreadfully uncommon for someone to be out this late, him included, but something didn't feel right. The atmosphere around him seemed to get colder and Topper tugged on his jacket to wrap up his tiny frame._ **

**_His feet almost unconsciously moved him faster down the street out of instinct, protecting him from imminent danger, but the foot steps behind him didn't let up. They got faster when Topper picked up the pace and louder as they approached closer and closer. The determination was enough to make Topper's heart pound with adrenaline._ **

**_Topper fought every urge to look back over his shoulder, hoping that maybe it was Mick or Joe, but he knew it wasn't them. They would've called out his name by now. Still, Topper was curious and frightened at the same time with a cold sweat breaking out along his back and neck. He doesn't fully comprehend why he's so scared, but he is._ **

**_He can see the stairs leading down to the station in the distance, nearly a block away, and he figures he can make it with the pace he's going. His paranoia is getting the better of him and Topper is on the verge of taking off in a full off sprint, but he's afraid that will give him away entirely. Damn his short legs! Why can't he walk faster?!_ **

**_"Wot's yer 'urry, short-ee? Late to the ballet?" The man called out, gaining on Topper as he taunted him. "Forget yer tutu?"_ **

**_That's it. That is enough to make Topper leg it out of there as fast as he can without stopping. But Topper's feet are too sore and his strides fall short, leaving him at a distinct disadvantage against his antagonizer. The station is moving closer with each step he takes but it feels farther than he can ever reach. Topper's breath is coming out in harsh, labored pants and he can feel himself slowing down._ **

**_"Wot's the mat'er, niblet? Yer lit'le legs givin' out?" He taunted from a breath away before tackling Topper to the ground._ **

**_Topper made a surprised sound and grunted in pain when he was seized to the hard, cold concrete face first. Topper was defenseless as the unknown assailant pushed his face as far as it would go into the sidewalk and bracketed him with his legs. Topper was able to turn his face to one side, begging the guy to stop and the only reply he got was a cold snicker._ **

**_"'Ere's wot's gonna 'appen, mate. I'm gonna take all yer money an' yer gonna lie there like a good lit'le munchkin," the man teased, ruffling Topper's hair mockingly._ **

**_"Get off!" Topper yelled with all his might, which he had little of, kicking and squirming beneath his captor. "And I'm not your mate!"_ **

**_"Yer a bit of a wuss, y'know that?" The mugger chortled teasingly, rifling through Topper's pockets to find his wallet._ **

**_The man slipped his hand inside one of Topper's back pockets on his jeans, letting his hand linger long enough to grab Topper's wallet as well ass his butt. The mugger huffed a little chuckle into Topper's ear when the drummer froze instinctively, clenching everything inside of his body out of panic._ **

**_"Ah. Yer a soft lad, ain'tcha? Yous get yer jollies outta snoggin' blokes, don't you?" The assailant leans down close to Topper's ear, pulling the wallet out of his pocket as he does. "Don't worry darlin'... I'll be gentle!"_ **

**_But before Topper can protest, before he can even scream, a loud wail resounded down the street and an imagined force seemingly knocks the mugger off of Topper to send him crashing backwards onto his back. It was like strong wind had blasted past Topper and knocked the man off his back. Topper picks himself up from the ground and takes a swift look around as he stumbles back away from his attacker._ **

**_"Oi!" A voice shouts from out of nowhere. The voice takes shape when a man comes crashing down out of thin air to land his booted feet in front of the mugger. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"_ **

**_Topper stares up in awe, taking in the sight before. There is suddenly a man standing there before him with his back turned, but Topper can see the bass slung across his back and a head covered with spiky blonde hair. Topper watches the scene from a safe distance with wide eyes._ **

**_"This got nothin' to do with yous, mate!" The mugger barks out, unfazed by this mysterious man's appearance. He staggers to his feet to stare down the bassist defiantly. "It ain't yer business!"_ **

**_"You're in my neighborhood," the bassist informs him with a stern warning, grabbing the neck of his bass and slinging it out in front of him. "And unless you wanna get hurt I suggest you leave now."_ **

**_"Or wot? Ya gonna bore me to death with yer 'orrible music?" The man scoffs with little intimidation from the bassist. He pushes past himself effortlessly and turns his attention back to Topper, pointing a finger at him. "I ain't finished with yous, pipsqueak!"_ **

**_"Oi! Little 'un!" The bassist calls out to Topper in warning, pressing his fingers against his bass' fretboard. "Grab hold of somethin'!"_ **

**_Topper blinks twice before the words finally sink in and he frantically searches for something sturdy to grab onto. He goes with a lamppost, wrapping his body around the cold metal tightly and clenching his eyes shut. At first there's nothing for at least a few seconds and this prompts Topper to open up his eyes quick enough to see it._ **

**_The bassist raises his hand up in the air, grasping a pick in it, and then brought it down to strike the strings of his bass. It emitted a shrill sounding D note that produced sonic waves of sound that reverberated out of the center of the bass. It was so powerful and so loud that it tore up a good portion of the sidewalk whilst sending the mugger shooting through the air to crash harshly into the ground by Topper._ **

**_The mugger made a move to get up but the bassist stepped forward onto the cracked concrete and smirked. He positioned his fingers in a new formation on the fretboard of his paint splattered bass when the criminal got up on his feet._ **

**_"Big mistake," the blonde tsked before he turned up the sound on his bass and began to play a solid rift that overpowered the mugger's ability to stand._ **

**_The sound pounded out in unrelenting waves and Topper hung on with all his strength, wrapping his body tighter around the lamppost, but he could feel his grip loosening as the sound waves wracked his body as well. It made the hollows in his body vibrate in the weirdest sensation and Topper shot a pleading look at the mysterious blonde to let up on the noise._ **

**_The stern hard look etched across the bassist's face softened a little as he realized what was happening but before the sonic waves could cease the young man he set out to rescue let go of the lamppost and he went flying into the air along with the assailant._ **

**_Topper yelled out in surprise and reached out for a lifeline as the world spun below him, knocking him for a loop. His pleas where inaudible, a jumbled mess of syllables, and he was sure that if he hit the ground from this height he'd surely break something. When the sonic waves let up and Topper stopped flailing, he began to fall back to earth._ **

**_Just when Topper was sure he was going to hit the ground something hit him hard and snatched him out of thin air. Topper opened his eyes, forgetting that he even closed them, to see the ground and buildings moving swiftly below him as he soared through the air. The breeze ruffled his hair and the motion made his stomach spin so much that he felt almost disoriented._ **

**_"Wot's goin' on?! How is this--?! Where are we--?! Put me down!" Topper pleaded and kicked frantically as he soared through the air with an arm wrapped securely around his waist._ **

**_It came to Topper's attention that he was slung over someone's shoulder but not just someone, it was the blonde, and they were flying. The blonde's booted feet were planted firmly to the backside of his bass and he directed it's flight through the night sky with the rotation of his hips, much like a surfboard. What was odd to Topper was--_ **

"Wait a minute..." Sean says looking up from his notebook where he was taking notes, interrupting Topper's story once again. "You're saying that he emitted sonic waves simply by playing notes with his bass... and then rode it like a surfboard?"

"I know it sounds crazy and far-fetched," Topper relents with a sigh. "But it's the god's honest truth! Even I can't believe it!"

"Are you saying he's a superhero? With superpowers?" Sean inquires skeptically with a slight wince.

"I'm just tellin' ya wot I saw and that he saved me... I even got me wallet back thanks to 'im," Topper adds as a side note, peering over at what Sean has written down in his notebook. "And yes, I do believe he is some sort of superhero. He needs to work at it, though."

Sean sighs, leaning forward to take a sip of his drink to clear his throat as well as his thoughts. The tape recorder that he set up for the interview was still rolling and as much as Sean wants to turn it off he knows that every second is crucial to his story. He'll just have to grin and bear it. The journalist looks down at his notebook and finds his place.

"You don't believe me, do ya?" Topper half expected to not be taken seriously and he shouldn't be all that frustrated but he is and he figures this might take awhile.

"Perhaps we should start over," Sean suggests and Topper sighs heavily.

**********************

"Okay, so, you're Mick right?"

"That's right."

"What are your thoughts on this local legend everyone's been talking about lately?" Sean poses as a question. It's a question he's said a thousand times before Mick and Topper and it's sort've remained a part of his vocabulary.

"I've seen 'im once before," Mick claims crossing his arms across his chest and sitting back into his chair.

"You have? And what was that like?" Sean asks, scribbling down in his notebook without looking up at Mick.

"Well, it was pretty dark mind you, but I did see him. He was up in the sky flying 'round on something," Mick begins to tell Sean before Sean elaborates further.

"Flying?"

"Well... more like hoverin'... but he was riding 'round in the air so fast that I nearly missed it!" Mick exclaims with enthusiasm. He normally doesn't buy too much into tall tales but just recalling the night seems to spark something within Mick.

"Are you sure of what you saw? Could it have been something else?" Sean instigates, having to question everything that gets thrown at him whether it's the truth or a tall tale.

"I suppose it could've been somethin' else..." Mick admits slowly, grimacing slightly at the possibility. "But, come to think of it, it looked like he was hoverin' 'round on a bass. That'd be pretty hard to mistake as somethin' else."

"Your friend Topper seems to believe he's real," Sean informs Mick, giving the other man a chance and listening to what he has to say. "He's been telling me some bizarre things."

"Has he? Like wot?" Mick asks, leaning forward with curiosity.

**_"I once saw 'im play his bass so loud that he made someone's head explode!" Topper exclaims at a skeptical Sean Flynn, making him flinch slightly. "It was so amazing! And this one time--"_ **

"Tops actually said that?" Mick questions thoughtfully, biting his bottom lip with a skeptical furrow of his brows. "Well, then... It must be true. Topper ain't one to lie."

**********************

"I'm not sure what it is they told ya exactly, but I don't really believe in all that rubbish," Joe says in response to Sean's well-practiced question, picking at his thumb nail. "They're just 'avin' a go with ya, mate."

"So you've never actually seen him?" Sean inquires, sparing a hopeful look up at Joe. He's been through at least ten interviews with locals so far and Joe is the first one to say that he hasn't seen anything.

"Never 'ave and probably never will," Joe says honestly, finding little interest in the subject.

"Most people seem to think he's pretty real. Topper told a pretty interesting story," Sean speculates, adding more to the skepticism and hoopla of the whole ordeal. "He seems very convinced about this... protector of peace."

"The one about the mugger? He tells that one pretty well, doesn't he?" Joe wonders out loud with a hint of doubt in his voice and mannerisms. "Topper's my mate and bless his heart, but I just have to see it for myself before I believe it, y'know?"

"I can understand that," Sean agrees. "I'm sort've the same way with most things."

"So wot made ya wanna right this silly article anyway?" Joe asks curiously, feeling as if he it was his right to know, especially if he was going to be featured in it.

Sean scribbles down a few more notes and details before he sets his pencil down against his notebook to rest his cramping hand. Sean isn't used to the whole writing thing, taking photos is more his actual speed, but he was trying to branch out to bigger things. Even if that meant covering an urban legend in the heart of England.

"I wanted to try my hand at writing, covering ground breaking stories with something other than pictures," Sean tells Joe. No one's really asked why he was doing this and he was at a loss for words.

"Is this ground breakin' enough for ya?" Joe chuckles heartily, finding Sean a tad bit silly in his choice of stories.

"I'll admit it's a bit unorthodox, but it really is interesting to me and it's such a great country that I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity," Sean tells him ardently, getting carried away. "But why don't we get back on topic, shall we?"

**_\--he didn't feel scared. Not about the mysterious blonde at least. Topper knew the man wouldn't drop him, not after saving him from a petty thief. Topper closed his eyes and clung to the man's jacket as extra security unless he did fall. The arm around his waist tightened slightly, almost protectively, and Topper felt a little more at ease despite it being his first time flying._ **

**_It was cold being so far up in the sky, higher than all the rooftops, but Topper held onto to his savior's warm body that steered the bass effortlessly through the air. Topper mused that the blonde's combat and channeling needed some work but his gliding was second to none. Not that Topper glided much before._ **

**_But the somewhat pleasant ride was cut too short and soon Topper could see the ground below them getting closer. When they were a few feet off the ground the blonde hopped off his bass and gripped it in his free hand while still holding Topper. Topper was set down gently on the concrete, swaying a little as he learned to walk again._ **

**_He was shaky in the knees and his heart was beating faster than light and Topper thought his legs might give out from underneath him, but his savior caught him just under the arms before he could. When Topper was raised to his feet he got his first good look at the bassist._ **

**_His face was relatively kind despite his imposing presence from just moments ago and his blue eyes are bright with worry. Topper feels dizzy from the music and flying and kindness this stranger has given him in such a short time. The drummer thinks he might faint. How embarrassing would that be? He really would be a damsel in distress..._ **

**_"Th-thank you," Topper chokes out after he regains some of his wits. He's too taken aback by by the whole ordeal to say much else._ **

**_"Are you alright? I didn't mean to put you further into harms way," the blonde apologizes, feeling somewhat responsible for the smaller man's shaken demeanor._ **

**_"I'm fine. Just a little nerve wracked is all. Never been stuck up before. Or rescued," Topper blushes, looking away bashfully._ **

**_"Well, maybe this will make ya feel a little bet'er," the blonde says, presenting Topper's wallet from his pocket with a charming smile._ **

**_"You've got it!" Topper exclaims with elation, snatching it up quickly and throwing his arms around the bassist. "Oh, thank you! This is literally all I 'ave!"_ **

**_"It was nothin'," the blonde shrugs, hugging Topper back and finding completion in Topper's relief and happiness._ **

**_"You truly are a hero," Topper praises, releasing the other man from his enthusiastic embrace, beaming the brightest smile. "Who are you?"_ **

**_"That's not important."_ **

**_"Will I ever see you again?" Topper asks as the mysterious bassist hops back on his hovering paint splattered bass._ **

**_"Maybe."_ **

*********************

Looking up from his notes, Sean Flynn is still skeptical by the end of it all and maybe he'll never found out the truth, but he still feels the need to press the question.

"So, any final thoughts on the matter?" Sean proposes in a final summation. 

"It's all a little far-fetched for me," Joe says cynically.

*********************

"Well, I suppose anythin's possible," Mick shrugs optimistically.

*********************

"The Bass of Brixton is real," Topper confirms without any doubt in his heart on the matter. He smiles faintly, remembering that kind face. "He's out there and he's watchin' us. He'll show up again some day... I'm sure of it."


End file.
